What happened to Erik Paulsen, deficit hawk?

On April 15, 2011, Rep. Paulsen issued a press release with the headline, "Paulsen Votes to Reduce Deficits, Pay Down the Debt." In the release, he touted his votes in favor of the federal government living within its means and the importance of fiscal responsibility.

Fast forward to 2017 and now we observe that Paulsen is a strong advocate for the GOP tax bill that is about to become law. He used his powerful position on the Ways and Means Committee to help craft it; he tweets about it daily; and he speaks passionately in favor of it in local and national media interviews. To be clear, this is the GOP tax bill that Congress' own nonpartisan scorekeeper, the Joint Committee of Taxation, concluded would add over $1 trillion to the deficit over the next decade — even after accounting for economic growth. This is the same GOP tax bill that the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center concluded will add $1.3 trillion to the deficit after factoring in economic growth.

Paulsen's willingness to throw future generations under the bus to provide a huge tax cut to large corporations and the super-wealthy is not only a disgrace but it is completely inconsistent with his own past statements and policy positions. What does he really stand for? Residents of Minnesota's Third Congressional District deserve to know.